BlackBerry killer?

08/03/2011

Modern smartphones are so great. You can check email, watch videos, play games, and take photos, all on a lovely big screen. And yet millions of people still cling to yesterday's model of smartphone, the BlackBerry. Why? Well, one reason must be the BlackBerry's nifty portrait QWERTY form factor. Having a built in keyboard that doesn't slide out or require you to turn the phone around to access it. Sure, you lose a bit of screen size, but the keyboard is just there.

But what if you want the famous BlackBerry shape, but with the convenience of a modern operating system like Android? Well, you're in luck. Samsung, one of the most successful Android handset manufacturers, is coming to your rescue with its new Galaxy Pro.

The quirky-but-handsome handset packs a 2.8-in screen above a full, albeit mini, QWERTY keyboard in a squat, pocket-friendly package. Of course that's a smaller screen than you'd get on many other phones, but not that much smaller - it's similar to Palm's recently-annouced Veer, for example, but the keyboard doesn't slide out.

We reckon for those who are addicted to both Angry Birds and emailing, this could be a winner. It'll be out on Three later in the year, price TBC, and you can see a nice man from Three introducing it in the video below.